Irish Examiner view: No price too high for peace of mind

Norton and Twitter

Graham Norton’s departure from Twitter in the last few days has been widely interpreted as a reaction to criticism for expressing his views on the trans debate.

Norton’s comments in an interview conducted by Mariella Frostrup are worth repeating: “If people want to shine a light on those issues — and I hope people do — talk to trans people, talk to the parents of trans kids. Talk to doctors and psychiatrists. Talk to someone who can illuminate this in some way.”

Interestingly, the wider context for these remarks within the interview was Norton’s reluctance to become involved in a debate on the grounds that such involvement would in itself become a headline or distraction; unsurprisingly, that is exactly what has happened.

Toxic Twitter

For anyone clinging to the forlorn hope that Twitter might still be a public square where opinions can be exchanged and debate encouraged, this development only underlines the toxicity at the heart of many exchanges on the site.

Norton’s departure illustrates what is increasingly apparent — the wearying swirl of invective, name-calling, and disingenuousness to be found on the site make even the swiftest glance a dispiriting experience. Any reasonable reading of Norton’s comments couldn’t fail to recognise some undeniable truths, expressed rationally and reasonably.

Norton is a rarity in today’s world of Instagram-manicured, no-access celebrities in that he is likeable, accessible (while maintaining a private life), and genuine. He may think twice about being candid in his next interview, though, because of that most toxic combination of things: Twitter and questions about trans issues. Few topics generate as much high-octane abuse online.

Norton’s crime was to effectively say his view as “a bloke on the telly” was less than important and that trans people, doctors, and psychiatrists’ views mattered, not celebs (“you don’t need to attach a Kardashian to a subject, the subject should be enough in itself”). The cliched conclusion would be to say he has paid dearly for doing so but, given what occurred when he made those points, was deleting Twitter really that high a price to pay for his own peace of mind?

We are reaching a stage where Winston Churchill’s cynical dismissal of democracy may have to be repurposed: The best argument against the existence of Twitter is to spend five minutes browsing the site.

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